His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije celebrated the Holy Liturgy on the 28th Sunday after Pentecost, on 21 December 2025, at the Church of Saint Sava on Vračar.
 
As, according to the tradition of our local Church, this day marks the celebration of Detinjci – a feast dedicated to children – several hundred youngsters took part in the holy assembly. Accordingly, in his liturgical homily, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije devoted special attention to them and said on that occasion:
 
– In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Brothers and sisters, blessed be this day, blessed be today’s feast! Our Church today celebrates Detinjci, a day dedicated to children, although every day of the year is dedicated to children, and we are all called to be innocent as children, for in truth we are all children of God. Today, in a special way, we are reminded of how great a gift life is, what a gift from God a child is, and that none of us is the owner of our own life, but that life is a gift of God’s love. It is a kind of credit that each of us receives, and therefore it is necessary and important to return the gift we have received from God and to use the credit entrusted to us properly, so that the gift we possess may bear fruit and become a life filled with joy and meaning – a life that is an encounter with God and a continual encounter among ourselves in the Lord and in love.
 
– Therefore, brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant that today, when the Lord and His Church remind us that we must take care of our children – to be crucified for them, because they are a gift from God, and to follow their purity and innocence – we may know that when the Lord is in first place in their lives, they will always act as they should. Let us pray that God grant all children joy and peace, success in mutual love, success in learning, and above all success in fulfilling God’s law, which leads to the acquisition of virtue, so that then we may all, rejoicing in one another, glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, together with His Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen – said His Holiness the Patriarch.
 
Concelebrating with His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije were His Grace Vicar Bishop of Moravica kyr Tihon; Protopresbyters-Stavrophors Radivoje Panić and Dimitrije Kasapis; Protopresbyters Nenad Jovanović, Dragan Šovljanski, Ivan Štrbački, and Branislav Kličković; Priests Miroslav Vasić and Nemanja Kalem; Protodeacons Dragan Radić, Radomir Vrućinić, and Mladen Kovačević; and Deacons Vasilije Perić and Lazar Ristić.
 
On the occasion of the feast of Detinjci, a befitting program was presented, organized by the administration of the Church of Saint Sava and the Office for Missionary Activity, and performed by the Rastko Choir and pupils of the Belgrade elementary schools Đura Daničić, Branislav Nušić, Svetozar Marković, Saint Sava, Vladislav Ribnikar, and Zmaj Jova Jovanović, together with their religious education teachers.
 
This was followed by the traditional distribution of gift packages to the youngest spiritual children of Saint Sava. On that occasion, the Patriarch addressed the children, saying:
 
– Dear children and parents of children, since we are all children – as we have heard – spiritual children of Saint Sava, and we are all children of God, may this feast be joyful for us all, and especially for you who are still in childhood. I wish only that you may have love among yourselves, that you strive to be good to your brothers and sisters, to be friends with one another, and to strive to be obedient to your parents, for when you are obedient to your parents and do everything that brings them joy, you show and confirm that you love them. Do everything you can so that your teachers, educators, and caregivers may rejoice in all that you do. I wish all of you that God may protect you, and that we may all – first you, and then we, following your example – together follow the example of Saint Sava, who is the most important, dearest, and most beloved saint to all of us. From his earliest childhood, he knew that prayer to God is the most important thing. Everything that we cannot accomplish or achieve on our own, when we turn to God in prayer, when we pray and say ‘God help us,’ is accomplished. Saint Sava lived in this way from his earliest childhood and throughout his entire life. Therefore, may prayer be your most important toy, your most important tool and means, something that is constantly in your heart and on your lips—let prayer be your address to God, and then everything else will be as it should be. Long live, happy feast to you, and may God protect you!